Vacaville police use a dog to search for evidence on a path along a creek in Vacaville Wednesday. A burglary suspect stole guns from a nearby home on Linwood Avenue, but after being confronted by a witness, ditched the guns and ran away. (Robinson Kuntz/Daily Republic)

Search for burglary suspect causes school lockdown

VACAVILLE — A search for a burglary suspect Wednesday prompted police to have a Vacaville middle school locked down.

Police received a call at approximately 10:54 a.m. from a someone who reported seeing a male armed with a rifle in the creek near the 700 block of Linwood Street, according to a news release. The caller had a short conversation with the person before the male fled on foot northwest along the creek, the release states.

Officers found several rifles abandoned on the north side of the creek. At that point, there had been no reported burglaries in the area, and police established a large perimeter. A California Highway Patrol airplane and a Vacaville police K-9 unit also assisted in the search.

Police asked officials at nearby Willis Jepson Middle School to initiate a lockdown for student and staff security, the release states. That was done because police did not know whether the person they were looking for was armed and because an active search was underway.

Detectives found that a home on the 700 block of Linwood Street had been burglarized. The residents were contacted and they came home to assist with a property inventory, the release states.

Police called off the search after about two hours and the school was taken off lockdown status.

Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to call Detective Mark Ferreira at 449-5258.

Reach Mike Corpos at 427-6979 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mcorposdr.